The objective of this page is to provide the
player with sport specific training exercises for micro-skill
set fundamentals as well as for specific macro-skill
game fundamentals.

There are many texts, magazines, and articles
on training programs for sport. Whether focusing on size, strength, power,
flexibility or cardio vascular training, everybody seems to have a slightly
different approach. I have reviewed pro workout programs for the Toronto Maple Leafs,
Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, as well as University
training programs for such schools as Harvard, Cornell, Yale, Michigan,
and Wisconsin and what amazes all player programs
differ.

Science has basically already determined how
muscle growth takes place. Through a process of muscle irritation and rest or,
overload and recovery combined with basic diet requirements such as protein,
carbohydrate and other essential nutrients, one can expect to attain certain
results. Of course we must also take into consideration genetic potential.
Training philosophies even differ from one country to the next. All we have to
do is look at Olympic competition as see which countries dominate in what
strength sports. Much of this controversy stems from "questionable"
substance abuse, but training methodologies really start to differ when moving
into high skill requirement sports such as hockey. Track and field muscle
specific training (sprinting and jumping) as well as muscle specific training
for power lifting has been more less refined over the past decade. Many of these
training principles have been applied with success to power specific sports such
as football where direct strength training to sport specific movements can be
related to their Olympic counterparts. But, hockey strength and power
specific training seems to be, in my opinion, confused and miss-directed.

In
football we can identify roles such as linemen who remain static on the line
then have to be linearly explosive. Volleyball and basketball can be
cross-referenced as well due to the vertical requirements.. However, hockey, due to its complexity of
movement and skill as well as, specific role requirements within the parameters
of the game; goal scorers,
play makers and enforcers, make generic training programs limited
specifically to foundation strength. Sport specific training programs have
been "developed" and materialize as the training "fad" of
the year. Again, applications from other semi-related movement training programs
have players performing "Plyo-metrics, Core Training or, using parachutes, bungee cords,
weight vests, and other paraphernalia. Of course all of these developmental
programs have some benefit to the player. However, how many players can
attribute these techniques to improving their point production significantly so
as to propel them to the next level where they can say that they "now"
dominate the game.

What I find particularly interesting is that most
of these trainers, especially in the states, have a power-football strength
background which is understandable when we look at the immersion of hockey in
the U.S. in the past 5 years. . When we look at muscle development for hockey, it is my
opinion and I must stress this fact, that we must first analyze the requirements
of the sport from a skill perspective as well as from a player's role or
functionality within a team environment.. We all know that genetics play an intrinsic role in muscle growth as well
as quality and type.

Due to the delicate relationship between skill,
strength, and the mental side of the game, I have found that a
player's physiological improvements generally are short lived.
An improvement of 50 lbs in one's maximum lift in the squat or bench press
may be a good goal for the summer but would that "improvement"
impact game play, and if so, by how much. Would this increase result in
more ice time during game play? Is the new found strength applied properly in
game play? Is it maintained or supported during the regular season? In
most cases this new found strength (using strength as an example) and its
correct application during game play may not be supported by the coaching
philosophy or may not be able to be maintained due to lack of adequate time
management skills or training habits by the player.

The following information is a combined mixture
of personal experiences and knowledge as well as a combination of many texts and
articles that I have researched. Please take them at face value and
experiment with them using what works and discarding what doesn't. I have used
the following training philosophies with much success with both Professional and
Junior hockey players with great success. Please remember that the workout
described is a summer or post season foundation strength program. However,
the recovery principles apply to pre, post and regular season training.

4. You recover faster from
low-intensity training than from high intensity training.

On thing that is often
overlooked is that you cant always train hard. You have to balance periods of
high intensity training with periods of low intensity training.

Working various body parts utilizing
different kinds of training intensity means that each muscle or
muscle group will require a different length of
recovery (recuperation or rest).

Based on the following:

A  Low intensity

B  Moderate intensity

C  High intensity

Recovery Days Per Intensity
Level:

Body
Part:
A B C
Body
Part:
A B C

Chest
2 3 4Shoulders
2 3 4

Back
3 4 5Biceps
2 3 4

Triceps
2 3 4Midsection
1 2 3

Legs
3 4 5 Hamstrings 3
4 5

Calves 1 2 3 Forearms
1 2 3

Depending of stage of growth, experience
and desire - intensity and program type differs from what is shown below. When
training younger players it is important to take into consideration maturity
level. For example, I was growing a mustache at 12 years old and never
grew in height after 13 years of age. I was therefore able to train more
intensely than other boys at my age. There is much controversy regarding
strength training for players over 10 years of age. We have to look at weight
training as scientific exercise. For example, young athletes run, sprint,
jump and climb as a natural part of their everyday activities. Looking to
the Gymnastic field as an example of strength training we find that athletes
start training at a very early age. However, it must be noted that while
strength becomes a critical component of the sport, correct form, function and
flexibility is not compromised. This is necessary to minimize potential
for injury while maximizing performance.

Some more information:

Exercise
stimulates hGH (human growth hormone) release in the body.
So do high temperatures. It is recommended that you train in a warm environment
 above 74 to 76 degrees.

Avoid
going to bed with a bellyful of carbohydrates.High
blood glucose will inhibit hGH release exactly when you need it the most.

Avoid
doing the same old exercises or training protocol all the time. Changing
routines will inject new adaptive stress, of the positive kind, into your
training and in so doing will promote hGH release.

Go to
bed with little to eat, especially carbs,
in order to keep blood sugar in the normal to low range.

Train
with just enough blood glucose to get you through you training and to replace
spent stores immediately after training. Remember, high blood sugar inhibits hGH
release.

The
fatter you are, the lower your hGH response to exercise will be.
Get rid of excess baggage.

The
Russians have spent many hours and rubbles studying the recovery process. Here
are some of the finer points:

Take naps in the
afternoon

Take naps in the
morning if you can.

Keep you naps to
about half and hours duration. Longer than that you go into deeper stages of
sleep, causing you to feel exhausted.

Afternoon napping
(around 2 oclock) is ideal.

Eat small meals
during the day so as to minimize effect on blood sugar which in turn will
effect your ability to nap.

Dont sleep 8 or
more hours per night. Keep to a 6 to 7 hour sleep cycle. Thus napping during the
day will help to bring you up to your 8 hours / 24 sleep cycle.

Workout Methodology:

How to perform your program: "A" workouts:

"A" workouts are characterized by adequate rest between sets
(usually 2-3 minutes). For example a couple of warm-up sets with light weight
(30% - 50%) of maximum and youre ready to train. Start at 10-12 reps for a
maximum effort and stop at 3  10 sets*. You will have to reduce to amount of
weight that you train with in order to complete the required sets (depending on
number of sets). Make sure that each set is near-maximum effort on the lift. Try
to eliminate the eccentric part of the lift (lowering the weight) by having your
partner "heavy spot" you (unload the bar for you on the way down).

"B" workouts are done with two or three exercises,
with the basic exercise done with explosiveness for low reps and heavy weights.
The other exercise (s) is/are done for moderate and high reps, respectively.
Again lots of rest between sets (2-3 minutes). This is a moderate intensity
workout.

For example, 3-4 sets of explosive reps with heavy weight (85%
of maximum); then do 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps, rhythmic cadence (up and down
smoothly) with moderate weight (70%-75% of maximum); then do 3-4 sets of 40
reps, slow, continuous tension with light weights (40%-50% of maximum).

Average intensity:

5 reps/ 3 sets/ 85% maximum, explosive movements

12 reps/ 3 sets/ 70% maximum, rhythmic cadence

40 reps/ 3 sets/ 40% max, slow, continuous
tension

"C" Workouts:

"C" workouts are called giant sets. A
"C" workout is performed nonstop, combining 2 or more exercises into
one giant set. This is a maximum intensity workout.

For example, youll note that while the exercises that you
perform in a "C" workout my be the same as in the "B"
workout, but continuous (nonstop) changing back and forth from explosive, heavy
movements to slow, continuous tension movements with light weights sets the
holistic set system into place.

As shown in the diagram below, no rest is taken between 5s,
12s, and 40s. Instead, a total of about 200 reps is performed nonstop. Repeat
this giant set once if you feel up to it, but not more than once. Its possible
to do this many repetitions because of the muscle fibers involved in the
explosive movements are not the same as ones targeted in the slower movements.
It is not necessary to perform forearm exercises in this manner since every time
you pick up a weight youre using your forearm muscles to grip the bar.

Average intensity for one "holistic set".

5 reps/ 85% maximum explosive movements

12 reps/ 75% maximum, rhythmic tension movements

40 reps/ 40% maximum, slow, continuous tension movements

How to perform a Holistic Set

Start set 5 reps  immediately into 1 set 12 reps
 immediately into 2nd set of 5 reps  immediately into 2nd set of 12 reps
 immediately into 3rd set of 5 reps  immediately into 1st set of 40 reps
 immediately into 4th set of 5 reps  immediately into 3rd set of 12 reps
 immediately into 5th set of 5 reps  immediately into 2nd set of 40 reps
and finally last set of 5 Reps.

This workout is one long "gigantic" set. Explosive means exactly
that. If doing bench press, as soon as the bar hits your chest explode as fast
as you can upwards and then repeat. It is important when doing this kind of
workout to chose your exercises carefully. Some exercises are not suitable for
the explosive sets.

The above information is kind of a "how to do the work"
approach. I do not want to go into depth on all of the weight training
fundamentals here but will add some basic components so as to give you a basic
from which to train by.

Some of the Basics:

Adaptation: Is the muscles ability to adapt to stress. If we haven't done weight training before, we would find the first weight or exercise that we
did difficult or uncomfortable but over time we would "adapt" and the
weight or exercise would become easy. We must therefore minimize the amount of
adaptation that occurs so as to stimulate growth. We do not want the exercise
to become easy.

Irritation: Is the stress placed on the body. It is possible to condition
the body gradually so that it can slowly adapt to stress and/or irritation. An
example of this is when we develop a sun tan in the summer. If we spend a small
amount of time in the sun at first and then gradually increase exposure we would
not burn. However, if the first time we were exposed to the sun for a lengthy
period we would get a "burn".

Weight training is a form of irritation. The degree of irritation the
body receives will demand and control the change or adaptation necessary.

The Growth Response: The results gained from training day in and day out,
from eating the right foods, from getting proper rest, work together to help you
achieve the end result: "the adaptation".

Adaptation is simply the bodys natural reaction to its environment or
its surroundings. In training with weight we purposely irritate the muscles so
that they will be forced to achieve more strength and accelerated growth. Adaptation
means muscle growth.

Recovery: Any irritation received by the body puts a strain on its
physical condition. The adaptation the body uses to overcome an irritation and
develop a new level of conditioning that will accept the irritation in the
future more comfortably is called "recovery".

Medical
Information:

Owning
a Gym, I get to witness many "horrific" training habits. One of the
most common is the improper use of, or even lack of use of a weight training
belt. READ THE FOLLOWING. I herniated a lumbar disc. This is not
something to fool around with!!

Lumbar trauma:

In the normal lifting
posture, the lower back is unnaturally hyper-flexed. This rounding of the lower
back is often exacerbated by the fact that, during the lift, your legs are bent
at the knees, causing a gradual deterioration of flexibility in your hamstrings.
Since the hamstrings attach to the pelvis, they pull downward when too tight,
causing a further rounding of the lumbar spine (lower back) even during the day
away from the weights.

Over time  over
months of training  the characteristic slump of the lower back coupled with
the rearwards tilt of the pelvis caused the tight hamstrings exert damaging
stress upon your vertebral discs. Once these discs are damage  and they will
be  no chiropractor in the world can fix them.

In order to eliminate
this problem hamstring flexibility is critical As well, wearing a weight belt
during moderate to heavy lifts is absolutely critical. Wearing a weigh belt will
help to eliminate up to 75% of all lower lumbar trauma and will extent your
weight training career for many, many years. Remember, proper technique is
absolutely critical. Just a weight belt alone is not the answer.

*Dehydration
can be recognized by symptoms of headache, fatigue and irritability.

The
following are sample balanced diets for muscle gain.

In order to gain
weight, one needs to assimilate approximately 3,500 calories for one pound of
body weight. That amounts to a lot of eating. The biggest problem
with athletes, especially at the younger ages (12, 17 years) is that their diet
is lacking in adequate protein. The following is an example of a diet
table for calorie consumption.

Protein shakes can substitute meals
either in the morning (meal 1), afternoon (meal 3, 4) or in the evening (meal
6). Two maximum.

Diet Breakdown:

2000 calorie
diet:
150 grams of protein

275 grams of carbohydrates

33 grams of fat

3000 calorie
diet:
200 grams of protein

438 grams of carbohydrates

50 grams of fat

4000 calorie
diet:
250 grams of protein

600 grams of carbohydrates

66 grams of fat

Without going into too much detail on vitamins and minerals (there are many
books on the subject available), hopefully the following information will
provide you with somewhat of a guide. There are several good reasons for using
vitamin and mineral supplementation. Supplementation creates quite a controversy
in most house holds since "a balanced and rounded diet" should provide
adequate nutrition.

Here are some of the reasons why nutritional supplementation is a good idea.

1. Inefficient digestion - not chewing well enough or eating too fast. Both
result in larger than normal food particle size which limit complete action of
digestive enzymes.

2. Use of alcohol  damages the liver and the pancreas which are vital to
digestion and metabolism. Regular use increases the bodys need for B
vitamins, Vitamin C as well as minerals Zinc, Magnesium and Calcium which are
critical to proper body functions.

5. Rapid growth (teenagers).  rapid growth spurts place high demands on
nutritional resources to assist the accelerated physical, biochemical demands. A
study covering a total of 86,000 individuals demonstrated that teenagers between
12-16 had dietary intakes below two-thirds of the recommended daily averages for
Vitamin A, C, calcium and iron.

6. Athletics  place an increased demand on B-group vitamins, C, and iron
in particular. Many studies have shown that elite athletes have wide varieties
of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Until recently, vitamins were thought to be the most important of the
nutritional supplementation with athletes as compared to minerals. Studies have
shown that minerals play a very significant role in various functions associated
with physical training. Any deficiency in any mineral can be disastrous to peak
performance. Iron and calcium are minerals commonly lacking in most diets.
Failure to consume adequate amounts of either of these two minerals can lead to
fatigue, weakness and injury. Minerals are found in plants and animal foods
along with your drinking water.

The following is a list of some of the minerals and there relevance to
physical training:

Calcium - Most abundant mineral in your body. Makes up bones and teeth.
Required for muscle contractions. Lack of this mineral is the basis for many
stress fractures experienced by athletes.

Magnesium - Another mineral essential to muscle contractions, notably in the
relaxation phase. Lack of this mineral with result in fatigue, spasms, twitching
and muscle weakness. Quality foods are soybeans, leafy vegetables, brown rice,
whole wheat, apples, seeds and nuts.

Iron - Essential in making oxygen in your blood and crucial in the
transportation of oxygen during endurance activities. Coffee and tea consumption
can limit the absorption of iron. Best source is red meat.

Zinc - Responsible for cell growth by assisting in protein absorption. Vital
for tissue repair. It prolongs muscle contractions and therefore increases for
endurance. Sources include eggs and whole grains.

Adaptation Responses:

Dont confuse your body by attempting or requiring more than
one type of adaptive response (size or strength) at one time. This is not to say
that one will happen without the other. On the contrary, if you focus only on
strength, you will also increase your size as an adaptive byproduct. If you
focus on size your strength will increase as an adaptive byproduct also. Just
keep in mind that size or strength as adaptive by-products will not be nearly as
great as if you trained for one of them specifically.

If you desire a combination of maximum size and strength, then
you should train specifically for size first. Once you have achieved the size
that you want, then switch over and train for maximum strength. Research has
shown that the larger the muscle, the greater the potential for developing its
strength.

Set your outcome - Muscle Specific:

The first step in developing a plan is to decide specifically
what you want to achieve. The key to success however, is setting measurable
outcomes. Examples would be: gaining an inch on your arms, gaining 15 pounds
before the next season or trimming 4% body fat within six weeks. It is important
that you write our your specific goals and what you are willing to do to get
them.

Develop an Evidence Procedure. An Evidence Procedure lets you
know when you have satisfied the criteria for your specific goal. If your
outcome is new measurements, then obviously part of you procedure will be
measuring your arms to see if they measure what you wanted to achieve.

"Pick goals big
enough to matter but yet small enough to achieve!"

What am I will to do
to get this outcome?

What am I willing to
do to have this outcome?

If it is worth
having, is it worth keeping?

What do I do to keep
this outcome for myself?

You will need to understand that in order to achieve your
goals, some sacrifices will have to be made. How will your goals effect the
people and events around you? It has been said that "you can do anything
that you want, you just cant do everything that you want." Understand
how your training, diet, rest, etc. is going to effect you and your surrounding
and from this perspective, re-affirm your goals.

What goals do you need to focus on is probably the most asked
question of any hockey player. unfortunately, due to the lack of
adequately testing and research, most players (in fact all that I have asked)
are told to work on their speed. What kind of speed seems to be vague but as
answered by some Pro agents, "...you know, goal line to goal
line". What I found through my studies is that this is in fact a very
incorrect statement but apparently it is the training craze of all teams.

Kind of a pet peeve for me, I find this statement almost ludicrous.
Being around the game training hockey players for over 20 years I find it
incredulous that players actually believe this and train specifically to improve
their end to end speed all summer, go back faster (haven't actually been tested
to see if this is actually true and if so, by how much), at least they feel
faster, and end up playing the same way, score the same number of points and end
up with their career stagnating.

As mentioned previously, goal-setting is absolutely essential
to a player's success. But what to goal-set for...that is where fact and
fiction collide. Role specific focus (shooter, scorer, play maker, checker,
enforcer) is probably the most important consideration that a hockey player must
think about. I will not get into the testing
and analysis part in this section but click on the hyper link text above for
further information.

I have provided a simple hockey specific muscle to function
relationship diagram below to provide a basic understanding of the sport's requirements.

STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT HOCKEY IS 65% ANAEROBIC

Hockey consists of short bursts of high intensity activity.
This combined with many stops and starts demands that players develop their
short maximal output energy systems known as the Anaerobic System. Short intense
activity requires the body to perform at high levels without oxygen. That is why
hockey players benefit so much from a weight training program which is also
anaerobic.

UPPER BODY:

1, 10  Neck (Trapezius, Sterno
Clavical Mastoid)

- Primarily involved in hitting,
shoulder stabilization

2, 5, 12, 13  Shoulders
(Deltoid  anterior, medial and posterior)

- Primary function as in hitting
(Compression / contact against outside of shoulder), one on one situations such
as driving to the net, fighting off a check, fighting for possession down low.
Anterior delts used in all pushing actions, shooting while posterior (back of
shoulder) delts assist in joint stability since quite often, over-training of the
pectorals (chest) causes a muscle imbalance (forward rotation of shoulders) that
can lead to shoulder joint separations when being hit. Rear delts are the
primary muscle involved in slap shot windup (loading).

3, 4, 6  Chest (Pectorals 
major and minor)

- One on one situations, shooting
skills as well as clavicle stability.

- Primary function is supporting
structure for all skating skills (erector spinae) as well as one on one control
skills.

19, 20, 21, 22. Stomach (Abdominals,
Obliques)

- Supporting muscle structure for all
skating skills. Abdominals assist the erector spinae in alignment and upper body
support. Obliques are the primary muscle group involved in shooting (any action
where the upper torso rotates relative to the hips)

LOWER BODY:

A  Outside of Thigh (Abductors)

- Critical muscles for striding and
extension as well as recovery after lateral crossover (step-out)

B,C,D  Thigh (Quadriceps)

- primary muscles for skating skills
such as turning, stopping, crossing over and acceleration.

E  Front of Lower Leg (Anterior
Tibia)

- primary supporting muscle group
involved in balance (working in unison with the muscles on the back of the leg)
and in skating specifically gliding, backward crossovers, heel cutting, etc.

F, G  Buttocks (Gluteals)

- primary muscle group in all skating
fundamentals. Critical for explosive power.

H, I  Back of Leg (Hamstring
Group)

- Stabilization of leg (balance) as
well as recovery of leg after extension (although minimal). Most important
training element of this muscle group is flexibility. Inflexibility of this
muscle group can cause severe lower back and sciatic nerve problems.

J  Inside of Leg (Adductors)

- Primary function is recovery of leg
after extension.

K, L, M, - Back of Lower Leg (Gastrocnemius,
Soleus)

- Critical to all skating
fundamentals (extension of the foot) especially backward skating. Major muscle group for explosive
power and stride extension.

This muscle-to-function relationship
is critical. Below is a basic program that I have used post season for
hockey players for foundation strength and size prior to explosive power and muscular endurance training. Refer back to the beginning of this page for methodology.
While the muscle groups worked are shown, the actual exercises are not.

The
following diagram represents some basic exercises relative to body part.

The following chart represents intensity of training when it comes to legs,
upper body, shoulder, etc when using a weekly calendar based on rotating body
parts on a day to day basis relative to recovery principles.

Mon

Grp

Tues

Grp

Wed

Grp

Thursday

Grp

Friday

Grp

Saturday

Grp

Sunday

Grp

Chest

A

Shoulders

B

Chest

B

Shoulders

C

Triceps

C

Chest

C

Off

-

Back

C

Triceps

B

Biceps

B

Calves

C

Forearms

C

Back

B

Off

-

Biceps

A

Legs

C

Abs

C

-

-

Biceps

C

Off

-

Abs

B

Forearms

A

Forearms

B

-

-

Abs

B

Off

-

Calves

B

-

-

-

-

Calves

A

Off

-

Mon

Grp

Tues

Grp

Wed

Grp

Thursday

Grp

Friday

Grp

Saturday

Grp

Sunday

Grp

Shoulders

B

Biceps

B

Chest

B

Shoulders

A

Triceps

A

Chest

A

Off

-

Abs

A

Abs

B

Back

A

Legs

C

Legs

A

Shoulders

B

Off

-

Legs

B

Forearms

B

Biceps

B

Calves

B

Forearms

B

Back

B

Off

-

Calves

B

-

Calves

A

Forearms

A

-

Biceps

A

Off

-

-

-

-

-

-

Calves

C

Off

-

Mon

Grp

Tues

Grp

Wed

Grp

Thursday

Grp

Friday

Grp

Saturday

Grp

Sunday

Grp

Chest

B

Shoulders

C

Triceps

C

Chest

C

Legs

C

Shoulders

B

Off

-

Biceps

B

Back

C

Abs

A

Biceps

C

Calves

A

Triceps

B

Off

-

Triceps

B

-

Calves

B

Abs

B

-

Abs

C

Off

-

Abs

B

-

-

Forearms

B

-

Calves

B

Off

-

Legs

B

-

-

-

-

Forearms

A

Off

-

Forearms

C

-

-

-

-

-

Off

-

Mon

Grp

Tues

Grp

Wed

Grp

Thursday

Grp

Friday

Grp

Saturday

Grp

Sunday

Grp

Chest

B

Shoulders

A

Legs

B

Chest

A

Back

A

Chest

B

Off

-

Back

B

Triceps

A

Calves

B

Shoulders

B

Triceps

B

Biceps

B

Off

-

Biceps

B

Abs

B

Forearms

C

Biceps

A

Legs

A

Triceps

C

Off

-

Calves

C

-

-

Triceps

B

-

Calves

B

Off

-

Forearms

B

-

-

Abs

A

-

Forearms

B

Off

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Off

-

Mon

Grp

Tues

Grp

Wed

Grp

Thursday

Grp

Friday

Grp

Saturday

Grp

Sunday

Grp

Shoulders

C

Chest

C

Triceps

B

Back

B

Biceps

C

Calves

B

Abs

C

Legs

B

Forearms

B

Calves

C

Forearms

A

This is a one month cycle which can
be repeated if desired.

Chose exercises
(preferred) from workout chart below:

Workout Exercises plus
methodology:

Body Part and

Intensity Level

Preferred

Exercise

Approximate Reps

Approximate

Sets

Intensity

% of 1 RM

Rest

(recovery)

A  Chest

Bench Press

10

8

70%

1  3 min

Method

Use explosive movements. Eliminate eccentric (lowering)
movement.

B  Chest

Bench Press

5

3

85%

1  3 min

Method

Utilize Explosive movements

Dumbbell Press

12

3

70%

1  3 min

Method

Utilize rhythmic movements (cadence)

Cable Crossovers

40

3

40%

1  3 min

Method

Slow continuous movements

C  Chest

Bench Press/ Dips

5

*

85%

*

Dumbbell Press/ Flyes or Incline DB Press

5

*

85%

*

Bench Narrow/Press

12

*

75%

*

Cable Crossovers

40

*

40%

*

Method

Go through program in zig-zag fashion as explained in
previous "C" workout description. Wait 3-5 mint and repeat,
reducing the weight slightly each time. Use an variety of upper and lower
chest exercises for complete chest development, including weighted dips.

A  shoulders

Military Press

Upright Rows

12

8

70%

1  3 min

Front/Reverse DB lateral Raise

12

8

70%

1  3 min

Method

Use explosive movements without resting or pausing
between each rep. Eliminate eccentric loading (lowering the weight)

B  Shoulders

Seated DB Press

Upright Rows

5

3

85%

1  3 min

Method

Utilize explosive movements.

Lateral Raises/

Upright Rows

12

3

75%

1  3 min

Method

Utilize rhythmic movements (cadence)

Military Press/ Reverse Lateral Raise

40

3

40%

1  3 min

Method

Utilize slow rhythmic movements.

C  Shoulders

Military Press

5

*

85%

*

Lateral Raises

12

*

75%

*

Seated DB Press

40

*

40%

*

Method

Go through program in zig-zag fashion as explained in
previous "C" workout description. Wait 3-5 mi

n.
and repeat,
reducing the weight slightly each time. Use an array of shoulder
exercises. Also try to mix in some sets of front dumbbell raises so as to
achieve total shoulder development.

A  Back

T  Bar Pulls

12

8

70%

1  3 min

Front Pull-downs

12

8

70%

1  3 min

Method

Use explosive movements without resting or pausing
between each rep. Eliminate eccentric loading (lowering the weight)

Body Part and

Intensity Level

Preferred

Exercise

Approximate Reps

Approximate

Sets

Intensity

Rest

B  Back

Back Extensions

5

3

85%

1  3 min

Method

Utilize explosive movements

Front Cable Pull-down

12

3

70%

1  3 min

Method

Utilize rhythmic movements (cadence)

Dumbbell Rows

T-Bar Pulls

40

3

40%

1  3 min

Method

Utilize slow continuous movements.

C  Back

Chin grip pull downs

5

*

85%

*

Dumbbell Row

12

*

75%

*

Front Pull-downs

40

*

40%

*

Method

Go through program in zig-zag fashion as explained in
previous "C" workout description. Wait 3-5 mint and repeat,
reducing the weight slightly each time.

Go through program in zig-zag fashion as explained in
previous "C" workout description. Wait 3-5 min and repeat,
reducing the weight slightly each time.

A  Abdominal

Russian Twists

8

5

85%

1  3 min

Method

Be explosive "only coming out of" twisted
position

B  Abdominal

Russian Twists

5

3

85%

1  3 min

Method

Be explosive "only coming out of" twisted
position

Reverse Crunches

12

3

70%

1  3 min

Method

Utilize rhythmic movements (cadence).

Crunches

40

3

40%

1  3 min

Method

Utilize slow continuous movements.

C  Abdominal

Russian Twists

5

*

85%

*

Reverse Crunch

12

*

70%

*

Side Bends left/right

40

*

40%

*

Method

Go through program in zig-zag fashion as explained in
previous "C" workout description. Wait 3-5 min and repeat,
reducing the weight slightly each time.

If you would like to design your own
program, use the following charts to pick your specific exercises per body part
and per intensity level.

Select exercises from the following
table for the "A" Workout.

"A" Workout

Select exercises from below for the
"B" Workout

"B" Workout:

Select
exercises from below for the "C" Workout

"C"
Workout:

Reading charts: A - B
- C workouts

Pick only one
exercise per column per training element. Do not duplicate exercise. In
the "A" workout table, all muscle groups with the exception of Back
and Legs only require one exercise for training. Pick one exercise out of
each column with the exception of "Back and Legs" where a second set
is required and an alternative exercise is to be chosen.

When referencing
the "B" workout table, pick one exercise from first column for the
first set, a different one from column B for the second set and finally, a
different exercise completely for the third set. This same methodology
applies to the "C" workout program table as well. This table is
to allow you flexibility in this program by supplementing exercises depending on
your own specific muscle weakness.

Load demands
on muscle groups relative to game and practice intensity.

1.
Intense skating game or practice

Gluts (butt)
(B) - bike post
workout

Quads (medial-lateral)
(B) - following day light skate or possible tactical or
positioning with moderate skate for lactic

acid removal.

Quads (lateral) (B) *AS ABOVE
 incorporate lots of

hip flexor stretching
following game

Adductors (B) *AS ABOVE 
incorporate lots of groin stretching.

Abductors (B) *AS ABOVE 
hip flexor stretch

Chest - - minimal activity 
little to no work. Most work comes from anterior delts.

Shoulders (A-B) - depending on
position and type of play. Contact or high checking and one on one confrontation
places stress on medial and posterior delts.  impact bruises joint. Treat as
a (B) workout

Hamstrings *** - minimal
activity depending on stride execution. Main problem with this muscle group is
that it actually shortens from lack of proper extension. Stretching is
absolutely critical.

Proper hydration so as not to
induce cramping. Abdominal work next day (lower abdominals as well as lower back
flexibility).

Cardiovascular: Anaerobic 50%
- 70% depending on position.

Aerobic 50% - 35% depending on
position

Post game activity: Bike ride
or light cardio activity to assist in lactic acid removal. Important to minimize
quad and gluteal loading during cardio training (you would not want to be
running stairs or any other similar activity). Minimum 20 minutes cardio. This
is absolutely critical for the elimination of lactic acid. A player that has
poor aerobic conditioning tends to take longer to recovery from high intensity
aerobic workouts. Muscle massage has been shown to help eliminate waste products
in muscle tissue and assist in recovery. Proper hydration is critical as well as
supplementation of water soluble vitamins and minerals . I can not stress how
important proper supplementation is.

As we can see, a very intense game or practice places quite a load on the
body, but only relatively. We must remember that muscles have two primary
functions ; the first is the sport specific action and the second is in the role
of support or synergy (working together). Over training in either case will case
problems during practice or games. When over training the sport specific muscle
is it easy to understand where a muscle group such as the Quadriceps is fatigued
then the skating performance would be effected. But when we talk about opposing
muscle group fatigue we dont realize that this creates a situation where a
muscle cannot relax properly so that the primary muscle group cannot functions
to its maximum potential. An example would be where one has over-trained the
hamstrings and they are very tight on game day. It is hard to skate effectively
when this happens and could cause muscle injury.

Hopefully there is enough information
from which to create a training program that fits your needs and can
be integrated into game / practice schedule. One of the biggest problems is the
lack of knowledge that exists about muscle involvement during game or practice
play let alone having the knowledge to understand what happens in the weight
training environment.

How to maximize training potential
takes determination and some sacrifice. Winning championships is not only
winning but picking the games and the practices that you can sacrifice. As long
as the athlete moves forward in the desired direction ...and this must be
determined ahead of time so that the focus is correct .then we must in some
cases sacrifice the unnecessary elements so as to peak at the right time. In
hockey, a sport that requires strength, speed and muscular endurance as well as
cardiovascular conditioning, we must training accordingly.

To start with one must incorporate a
strength program which is necessary to building a foundation which which to
develop speed. In a recent study done, there is direct correlation between thigh
size, leg strength and skating speed. The players with the biggest, strongest
thighs had the fastest skating times.

Try to utilize a 3 month strength
training program. Next, move into a 6 week explosive power training regiment and
finally, finish with a muscular endurance program which will take
approximately 6 weeks. This will lead you or your team into playoffs.

A couple of points:

1 It has been shown that if an
athlete trains very hard (under some controversy  but discussion is more
aligned to what is meant by "very hard". At this point is available
published material, it is taking each exercise performed to absolutely positive
and negative failure [lifting and lowering]) once a week, he will not shown any
significant muscle loss for up to 6 weeks.

2  An athlete can train a muscle
group very hard once a week and moderately a second time during the week and
shown muscle gains.

3  It is better to train lightly
than not at all. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. GET INTO THE GYM IF EVEN FOR 20
MINUTES. Muscles need stimulation so as to not atrophy. (loss of size and
strength).

3  As demonstrated earlier, the
best way is a scientific approach to maximize results. However, this takes a
great deal of coordination between the athlete and the coaching staff so that
practice plans incorporate the muscle building and conditioning strategies. As
well, it takes a great deal of discipline by the athlete to effectively time
manage his day both from a dietary as well as from a weight training point of
view.

Well
that's about it for now. More to come at a later time.

Sport specific
training programs for Pre- Post and during regular season play can be
provided as a service and is mentioned in the Products and Services
section.